Former MBC Sports+ announcer Park Shin-young clarifies emergency response following fatal 2021 accident

Park Shin-young, a former MBC Sports+ announcer involved in a 2021 traffic accident that resulted in the death of a motorcyclist, has revealed the reason she was unable to exit her vehicle immediately after the collision. More than five years after the incident, she provided specific details regarding the emergency rescue request process to correct allegations that she "took no action" immediately following the crash.

On the 11th, Park stated via her social media accounts that reports suggesting she took no measures after the accident are untrue. She explained that upon impact, the vehicle's emergency SOS system was automatically activated due to airbag deployment, and she used the call connected through the vehicle's internal speakers to report the accident and request rescue.

Park also provided specific details regarding why she did not exit the vehicle immediately. "In the process of accurately conveying the accident location, it led to a three-way call with 119, and because the call for emergency reporting and location verification was ongoing, I could not leave the vehicle immediately," she stated. Her claim is that her remaining in the vehicle was not due to inaction, but because she was in the middle of reporting the emergency and communicating the location.

She added that she also informed a witness who approached the scene. "I also informed a witness who approached the scene at the time that I was in the middle of reporting the accident by opening the vehicle door," Park said. She further stated that she possesses the call recordings from that time to support her explanation. As controversy persists regarding her response immediately after the crash, she has disclosed the specific reporting circumstances and the existence of materials to verify them.

However, Park drew a line, stating that this clarification is not intended to evade responsibility for the accident itself. "It is not my intention to deny my responsibility for the accident," she emphasized. "However, I wish to correct the facts regarding the misunderstanding that no measures were taken immediately after the accident." This is interpreted as her stance that legal responsibility for the accident and whether she requested rescue immediately after the crash are separate issues.

In May 2021, Park was driving an SUV at an intersection in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, when she collided with a motorcycle. The accident resulted in the death of the motorcyclist. At the time, investigations found that Park had exceeded the speed limit, and she was indicted on charges of death under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents, receiving a fine of 15 million won.

The past accident has come back into focus recently as Park opened a TikTok account and began activities as an influencer. As criticism and malicious comments continue online, Park has been releasing successive statements regarding the accident via social media. She also expressed her intention to take legal action against malicious comments.

The fact that a life was lost in the accident cannot be lightened by the passage of time. While Park has stated she does not deny responsibility for the accident, the controversy surrounding whether she requested rescue immediately after the crash remains a matter requiring separate factual verification. Attention is focused on whether the details of the call and the recordings released five years later will resolve the misunderstandings regarding the situation immediately following the accident.

Read the original (Korean)